Allegany County Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Tuesday

Mar 25, 2014 at 11:18 AMMar 25, 2014 at 11:18 AM

From staff reports

HOUGHTON — The Allegany County Sports Hall of Fame welcomed 10 new members on Saturday night at the annual dinner at Houghton College.The class of 2014 includes: Rick Wiseman (Belfast), Casper Gosper McRae (Genesee Valley), Ron Stabley (Bolivar-Richburg), Scott Reitnour (Fillmore), Fran Pettnot (Friendship), Vanessa Zoll (Cuba-Rushford), Leon Coleman (Whitesville), Elizabeth Moyer Gamache (Scio), Bill Archer (Canaseraga), and Dick Joyce (Andover).Below are the first five biographies of the inductees. Check out Wednesday's Daily Reporter for the other five biographies of the inductees.WILLIAM "BILL" ARCHER: A 1965 graduate of Canaseraga, Bill Archer had a tremendous athletic career at the high school level. Beginning as a freshman, Bill was a starter on the varsity squads for the Indians in soccer, basketball, and baseball. In soccer he scored a total of 49 goals over his four-year career. His sophomore season he scored eight goals in four sectional games topped off by scoring three goals in the title tilt as the Indians were crowned Section V champions.Bill excelled in other sports in addition to soccer. On the hardwood he was an Allegany County Class C First-Team All-Star for three seasons. His junior and senior campaigns he made the prestigious Olean Times Herald All-Star squad in addition to being named to the Section V Class D All-Tournament Team. The first player in Canaseraga history to score more than 1,000 points, Bill accumulated 1098 points over his four-year varsity career.Finally, in baseball Bill helped the Indians to the county title for four consecutive seasons, during which time the team lost a total of just three games. His senior year the team won the Section V championship while going undefeated. A superb hitter, he batted over .350 his first two years in high school, then raising his average to over .400 his last two years. In just his senior year alone, he hit seven home runs.After graduation, Bill attended Wright State University, which had just opened in 1965. Being a new institution, they were in need of an intercollegiate athletic program. Bill was a student member of a committee tasked to help build such a program. During his time there, Bill helped coach and play soccer, as he was selected team captain two seasons.Bill returned to Canaseraga where he helped coach a number of teams. Included in his endeavors were the grades 4-6 basketball team and the boys’ junior high soccer squad. Several years later he coached the Canaseraga varsity soccer program to a fine 12-3-1 record. He also directed youth basketball and soccer at Alfred-Almond Central School.Bill continued his dedication outside of the school setting by receiving the Golden Black Book Award for best Bridge Inspection Team in 1997 and 1998. He was elected to a commissioner’s position for the Electric Light Department in Massachusetts.LEON COLEMAN: Like so many other members of this Sports Hall of Fame, Leon Coleman was a high school athlete who continued to use his skills outside of school to help area youth. A member of the Whitesville Class of 1977, Leon played four years of varsity soccer, three years of varsity basketball, and one year of varsity baseball. After graduation he attended Alfred State College, where he played varsity soccer.But it is Leon’s resume outside of the high school arena where he has made a huge impact. He coached the Blue Jays’ 5th-6th grade basketball team for 26 years. Even more impressively he has also been involved with the coaching and officiating of youth soccer and baseball for 32 years, and he still continues to serve both organizations to this day. In addition to youth sports, he has helped with the high school baseball program as an assistant for eleven years.Leon still serves local sports programs in a variety of ways. He has been an Allegany/Livingston soccer referee for ten years and helped with the Hornell Legion baseball program for a short time. In Whitesville he was the groundskeeper for their youth sports program for nearly 20 years, and he was the statistician for the JV and varsity basketball teams for over 10 years.ELIZABETH MOYER GAMACHE: When discussing the name Liz Moyer, all thoughts turn to the softball mound, which is where she made a name for herself as well as for the Scio Tigers. Beginning with her sophomore season in high school, Liz was selected as an Allegany County First-Team All-Star, an accolade she received for three years. She was also named to the New York State First-Team All-Stars, which was an amazing accomplishment considering her age. For the next two years she continued with state-level awards by again being named to the Class D First-Team All-Stars.Her junior year Liz increased her collection of awards by first being named Allegany County Co-MVP. That season she led the Tigers to the Section V Class D title, culminated by her selection as Section V Class D Tournament MVP. On a state level she was chosen as NYS Class D Co-Player of the Year. Her senior year at Scio found her once again leading the way as the team won its second consecutive Section V title upon which she was again named MVP for the tournament. During her stellar career, she pitched the Tigers to 50 career victories. On the occasion of Scio’s 300th all-time victory in softball, she pitched a perfect game, the only one in Scio’s history.While not on the softball diamond, Liz was a fine student, the true definition of a "scholar-athlete." She earned various Principals Awards and finished her academic career as Scio’s 2000 Salutatorian. She also received an Allegany County National Honor Society Scholarship.Liz is currently a member of the Allegany County SPCA Fundraising Committee. She was part of a team that was awarded a Distinguished Federal Government Service Award.RICHARD "DICK" JOYCE: Dick Joyce was both a three sport stand-out (soccer, baseball, and basketball) as well as a four-year starter in each of those sports for the Andover Panthers. He also found time his junior year to run track, finishing second in the county meet in the half-mile run. A standout on the hardwood in the winter, Dick was selected to the county basketball second-team all-stars both his 10th and 11th grade years with selection to the first team coming his way during his senior campaign. That year he was also a captain and scoring leader for the Panthers’ county championship team, the first one in the school’s history.Moving on to Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, Dick stayed involved in sports by again participating in soccer, baseball, and basketball. He started on each of those squads as well as earning his letter for each. In soccer he was the team leader in scoring and assists, and on the diamond he led the team in hitting.Leaving Cushman, Dick headed to Glendale Junior College in Arizona. While there he ended up playing with several teammates who eventually ended up either playing or coaching in the major leagues. When he was home in the summer, Dick played in the Alle-Catt League, where he was teamed up with previous Allegany Sports Hall of Fame inductees Red Fleming and Dennis Miles.Dick notes that he was very fortunate to have great teammates at Andover and enjoyed every minute of his four years of playing. He had two wonderful coaches, Frank Russell and (previous Hall of Fame inductee) Moose Baker, who impacted his life. He had a good friend in Moose’s son, Bobby, who was a friend and teammate who fought MS his entire adult life, serving as an inspiration to everyone in Andover. Dick also remembers five friends and teammates who passed away too soon: Bob Post, Tom McCormick, Ed Sackett, John Fanton, and Bob Boyer.Finally Dick acknowledges the positive impact of his family on his life. He thanks his mother and father, sister Cheryl, and brother Charlie and sister Teresa, both previous inductees into this Hall of Fame. His wife Tina and son Cory along with the extended family have all made him the person he is today, which includes working as Vice-President of Operations for Otis-Eastern, the family business which owns, operates, and builds oil and natural gas pipelines across the U.S.CASEY GOSPER MCRAE: Casey Gosper McRae was a three-sport standout for the Angelica Red Raiders in the early 1990’s. She played and excelled in soccer, softball, and basketball on an annual basis (with an early, limited foray into volleyball).Beginning in junior high, Casey played two years of varsity volleyball, earning Second-Team All-Stars as just a ninth grader. As a sophomore, she made her first of three selections to the Allegany County First-Team All-Stars in soccer. On the softball field she played for five seasons, being named to the Allegany County First-Team All-Stars four times. Her junior year she was named a Section V Class D All-Tournament honoree. She also played two seasons on a 16-and-under Wellsville traveling fast-pitch team.The basketball court is where Casey continued to pile up the awards. A varsity player for five seasons, she was named a county all-star each year: second-team in eighth grade followed by first-team honors each year in high school. Her junior year she was chosen as the MVP for the Allegany County Class D All-Stars. The following year she was selected for both the Olean Times Herald Big 30 All-Stars, as well as the Hornell Spectator "Great Eight" Team, an accolade she earned three times. At the conclusion of her senior campaign, she was selected as the Wellsville Daily Reporter Female Athlete of the Year.Heading to Alfred State College after graduation from Angelica, Casey played three sports (soccer, basketball, and softball) for the Pioneers. On the basketball court during her senior year she made the Western New York Athletic All-Conference Team and earned a place on the All-Tournament Second-Team. That year she was selected as the team’s MVP.

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